PROVIDENCE – The Ocean State’s capital city was named to the BBC’s list of the top 21 “under-the-radar” travel destinations in the world.

“Rhode Island is the smallest state in the U.S. – more like an English county in its expanse. Its capital, Providence, has many of the attractions of Boston, an hour’s drive away, but in a city a quarter of its size,” said the BBC.com description.

“It brings me great pleasure that our capital city has been deservedly recognized as one of the world’s outstanding destinations,” Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee said in prepared remarks. “The wider world is clearly realizing what we have long known: that Providence and Rhode Island have so much to offer both visitors and residents alike. We look forward to continuing to welcome new friends from across the country and around the globe to come enjoy our famed restaurants, vibrant creative sector, rich history and renowned natural beauty.”

The list lauded Providence’s strong student influence, the Rhode Island School of Design’s Museum or Art and the city’s place on the National Register of Historic Places. The BBC also commended Federal Hill and the Fox Point neighborhoods as some of the city’s “more colorful districts.”

“Try to time your visit for one of the 10 or so weekends a year, between May and October, when 100 flaming braziers light up the city’s waterways during Waterfire,” said the BBC.

Providence was one of only two destinations in the United States to earn a spot on BBC’s under-the-radar list. The other was Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Park in California.

“While this is not the first or only mention of Rhode Island tourism on an international scale, it is certainly a great honor to be recognized by the BBC,” said Rhode Island Tourism Director Mark Brodeur. “Providence is truly a cosmopolitan city with the attractions that the international traveler is seeking.”

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